Please Don't Leave Me
by JustKeepWalking
Summary: Paige, Marco, and Ellie get into a car crash. Only two of them walk out of the hospital. Rated T to be safe! *Complete!*
1. Chapter 1

Marco paced restlessly back and forth outside of the emergency room door, trying to ignore a nurse that kept asking him if he was okay. Of course he wasn't okay, his two best friends were behind that door. And here he was, perfectly fine. He'd left Ellie's completely totaled car with only bruises and scratches.

"Look," Marco managed to hiss, turning to the nurse quickly. "When someone can tell me that my friends are alright, I'll be okay." The nurse blinked a few times, apologized quickly and hurried away. With a massive sigh, Marco roughly seated himself in a leather cushioned chair, one that stood right beside the door that he'd last seen Ellie and Paige disappear into. He glared at the door, as if he were able to see through it. They'd been back there for nearly three hours. They couldn't stay forever.

Putting his face in his hands, Marco fought back tears, trying to push the image of his injured friends out of his mind; Ellie's bruised and bloodied face, Paige's expression of pain as the paramedics carefully removed her from the crashed car. He remembered telling them that it would be okay, that he would see them later and they would go home just as they'd gotten there, together.

Marco was torn out of his mind as a hand rested gently on his shoulder. Whipping around, he was looking at a kind-faced woman in a white coat. A doctor.

"Are they okay?" Marco asked frantically, leaping to his feet. "Please tell me they're okay?"

The doctor grimaced and looked him straight in the eye. "Paige will be fine; she's got a nasty cut on her forehead, but it'll heal in time, as well as her collarbone."

"And Ellie?" Marco wrung his hands nervously, suddenly terrified at the doctor's pause.

"Ellie, um…" the doctor began, "is in _very_ serious condition." She didn't break her gaze away from Marco's. "We're not sure if she going to make it."

Marco felt his heart stop and his eyes widen.

"T-t-that can't happen," he replied unsteadily. "Ellie, she's strong, she-she'll get through it."

The doctor's eyes softened as she heard him stammer, but she didn't say anything in response to his comment.

"You can come back and see her, if you'd like," she said softly.

It took him a second to take in her request, and after a moment he nodded slowly. Motioning with her hand, the doctor led him through the door. He followed her down several hallways until they reached a closed door. She twisted the knob and pushed the door open. Marco bit his lip as he took in the scene before him.

Ellie lay completely still underneath the white layers of the hospital blankets. Hanging bags of clear liquid surrounded her, leading to dozens of different places on her arms and hands. She was hooked up to countless machines that beeped continuously. Patches of gauze and tape covered the cuts on her face, and a single purple bruise was visible under one of her eyes. Most of her body was covered by the white blankets, but he was sure she was bandaged and taped up in other places as well. Blood was matted in her red hair, which the doctors had seemed to pull back away from her face. Her eyes were closed, her chest barely moving.

With a quick glance at the doctor by his side, Marco moved quickly towards the bed, hesitating as he neared the edge. He dragged a nearby chair to the bedside and sat slowly, his hands in his lap. He heard the door shut quietly and looked up to see that the doctor had disappeared. Turning back to Ellie, he tried to breathe evenly.

"Ellie?" he whispered, searching for her hand between the layers of sheets and blankets. He finally found it, warm and soft. "El, it's me," he continued, "it's Marco." He squeezed her hand gently. "Please open your eyes."

Ellie didn't move, her face completely still. Marco narrowed his eyes and stared at the floor, trying to keep back tears. She couldn't leave him like this. She had to make it.

Suddenly, Ellie inhaled raggedly and her eyes snapped open. Startled, Marco's head shot up.

"Marco!" she gasped, gripping his hand tightly.

"I'm here, El," he said breathlessly, "I'm right here."

Ellie's eyes were wild and scared as she looked him straight in the eye.

"Marco," she repeated, blinking a few times. "Marco, what is going on?" Her voice was weak and barely audible over the beeping of the machines. Marco got up from the chair and sat on the edge of the bed, his free hand shaking.

"You're in the hospital, El," he told her quietly, leaning in a bit. "You're alright, you're gonna be fine."

Ellie sighed feebly and closed her eyes. Her hand was fidgeting beneath his, like she was searching for something.

"Where's Paige?" Ellie asked faintly, opening her eyes again. They were glazed over with pain.

"She's in another room," he answered, "she's okay, she just got beat up pretty bad."

Ellie's expression was anxious as she listened to Marco talk. When he finished his sentence, she lifted the hand he held to his face. As her finger touched a sore spot on his cheek, he winced.

"So you're hurt too?" she asked, tilting her head to the side. Marco pursed his lips and took her hand again, shaking his head.

"It's nothing, Ellie," he murmured, "I'm fine compared to you."

Ellie flashed him a smile, and he managed to smile back.

"How long are you gonna stay here?" she asked, her eyebrows knitting together worriedly.

Marco held her hand tightly with both of his.

"Until they kick me out, sweetheart," he replied, "I won't leave you."

Ellie's eyelids began to droop and one of her fingers twitched.

"Thank you," she told him before letting her eyes drop closed completely. Marco sighed, staring

down at their intertwined hands. _See? _he told himself, _She's fine. She just needs some rest and we'll all be out of here soon. _

Yawning, Marco glanced at the clock that hung on the wall beside the door. It read twelve-thirty in the morning. His limbs ached from the crash and his head was pounding. Not wanting to leave Ellie's side, he seated himself back into the chair beside her bed and turned it sideways, so that he could sit back and rest and still keep her hand in his.

Putting his back against the chair and letting his head fall to one side, Marco closed his eyes. Before he let himself sleep, he made sure Ellie's chest was still moving.


	2. Chapter 2

**This is so epically short, but it contains a lot. (:**

Marco was awakened by someone shaking his shoulder gently.

He opened his eyes and blinked a few times in the bright hospital lights. The same doctor that had led him to Ellie's room stood over him, her expression grave and worried. Paige stood behind the doctor, her left arm held in place by a large sling, her head covered in bandages. Her eyes were red, her cheeks tearstained. Confused, Marco turned to look at Ellie. Her hand was still resting in his.

Ellie looked exactly as he'd left her, her eyes closed and completely still. But now, she was too still.

Marco leaped to his feet, letting Ellie's hand fall from his. It hit the hospital bed with a quiet thump. He glanced at the doctor, who grimaced and hung her head.

"She was gone when we came in around two in the morning," she told him quietly. "We didn't want to wake you just yet." He heard Paige stifle a sob as he glanced up at the clock over the door. Five in the morning.

The room spun as Marco listened to the doctor speak. 'She was gone?' Ellie couldn't be _gone_. This was Ellie they were talking about, she couldn't just _go_. She had to fight.

Sitting back in the chair he'd slept in, Marco put his face in his hands, trying to focus on a square tile on the floor between his fingers. He could hear Paige and the doctor exchanging words, but he couldn't make them out. He didn't want to.

Ellie. Ellie Nash, his best friend, she couldn't be… gone. She had been just fine when he talked to her, when he'd told her everything was going to be okay. Watching a teardrop fall to the floor, Marco realized that everything wasn't okay. He'd told Ellie it would and she was gone now. He'd lied to her.

When Marco lifted his face from his hands, he saw Paige kneeling beside him at the edge of the bed, her left arm still hanging limply in the sling. She had her right elbow on the bed, her hand covering her eyes. Her whole body shook, and he heard ragged sobs coming from under her hand.

He had to be strong. For Paige. He couldn't cry yet. Ellie wouldn't want him to cry.

He told himself that over and over again as he got to his feet. "Paige," he said gently, holding out his arms. At the sound of her name, Paige looked up, and her expression broke Marco's heart. She slowly got to her feet and leaned into him, burying her face in his neck. He wrapped his arms carefully around her, avoiding her injured arm. He rested his chin on top of her blonde head, refusing to let any more tears escape him. _She wouldn't want you to cry_, he thought to himself, _Don't cry._

His gaze fixed on the unmoving Ellie, Marco remembered the smile she'd given him before she closed her eyes. It was the kind of smile you never really saw on Ellie; soft, muted, somewhat knowing. He'd only ever seen it the times she'd told him she was fine after a fight with Craig or when her mom relapsed from rehab and got drunk. He would never forget that smile.

Stroking Paige's hair as she cried, Marco closed his eyes, closing out the sound of the doctor speaking behind him, probably with a nurse. He was sure that he tasted blood as he bit down hard on the inside of his cheek. He _would not_ cry.


	3. Chapter 3

**I update pretty quick, if I do so say myself. ;D **

**Get the Kleenex my friends, for this chapter and the next.**

With Ellie's car destroyed, Marco and Paige were offered a ride home by a soft-hearted doctor whose shift would end around six. The two had waited an hour in Ellie's hospital room for the doctor to be finished.

Releasing Paige from his embrace, Marco had run a hand through his hair and sighed. Paige sniffed and wiped her eyes, and he heard her trying to steady her breathing. He didn't know how long they'd stood there in that hug, but barely a moment after they broke apart, Ellie's doctor returned to the room. A male doctor stood behind her, a few bags hanging in his arms. He was tall and dark-haired, and looked to be about twenty-five or so, but the exhaustion on his face made him look years older.

"This is Jacob," Ellie's doctor said quietly, introducing them to their ride home. "He'll take you home this morning."

Marco tried to give Jacob a grateful smile, but he was afraid it looked more like a grimace. Paige barely managed a watery smile.

"I'm ready when you two are," Jacob said quietly and exited the room. Ellie's doctor did the same, leaving Marco and Paige to say their goodbyes.

Paige was hardly able to turn towards the bed without breaking into sobs. She took hold of Ellie's hand and stood quietly, with Marco resting a hand on her shoulder. She sniffed once and laid Ellie's hand carefully back down on the white blankets, walking away slowly.

Marco stood numbly at the bedside, his eyes locked on Ellie's peaceful face. Was she happier now? He hoped she was. She was a good person, she must've gone to Heaven. Taking a deep breath, Marco leaned over Ellie and took her face in his hands gently. Her skin was cold beneath his fingertips.

"I'll miss you, El," he whispered, moving forward to kiss her pale cheek. He hoped she could see him, from wherever she was, and know that he missed her already. That he loved her.

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The ride home with Jacob was quiet. Marco sat in the back of the doctor's small black car, his arm around Paige's shoulders. She'd been deathly quiet ever since she stepped foot into Ellie's hospital room. Marco couldn't help but glance nervously at her every few minutes. At one point, when he turned his head to look down at her, she'd lifted her gaze to stare right back at him, her eyebrows furrowed.

"Quit worrying about me, Marco," she scolded him quietly. "I'm absolutely fine." Marco narrowed his eyes at her. Nothing, not even the death of one of her best friends, could dampen Paige's harsh defiance.

At last, Jacob reached the small apartment that the three friends were sharing. Marco thanked Jacob as warmly as he could, and the friendly doctor gave him a pat on the shoulder. Nodding quickly, Jacob drove off.

As soon as Marco opened the door to the apartment, Paige hurried to her room, shutting the door audibly behind her. Marco thought about going in after her, but soon after the door was shut, he heard Paige lock it behind her.

Wearily settling himself on the couch, he brought a hand to his face. There were people he had to call; Craig and Jimmy especially. The first name sent a jolt through Marco's body. Craig, that disgusting heartbreaker. Marco hoped it would hurt when Craig found out.

A fresh wave of grief washed over him as he tried to think of what he would say. "We got in a crash and Ellie's dead." _Dead_. The word echoed in his mind, piercing his heart with every repeat. Ellie was dead.

He fell limply to the side so that his head rested on the arm of the couch.

And Marco cried.

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He certainly didn't remember falling asleep, but the sound of dishes clanging and water running made Marco open his eyes. Light filtered in from the window by the couch, and he guess it was still daytime. Sitting up weakly, he glanced into the kitchen.

Paige was at the sink, absently scrubbing at a plate. She used only one hand, her other being confined to a sling. Her face was expressionless, but her eyes were bloodshot and her cheeks stained. He hadn't been the only one crying.

Glancing up at the clock on the wall, Marco sighed. It was ten o'clock in the morning. Exhausted and sore, Marco got to his feet and groggily made his way into the kitchen. Stopping at Paige's side, he put an arm around her, cautious of her arm hanging in the sling.

"You okay?" he asked her weakly, staring down at the sink. Paige sniffed once and put down the plate she was washing, turned off the water and looked up at him.

"I don't know," she replied. Her eyes were dull and red, and her voice was weak and full of grief.

Marco gently squeezed Paige into a hug, sighing.

"I'm not that great either," he admitted. Letting his arm fall back to his side, Marco reached for the phone by the stove. "Why don't you go lay down or something?" he said to Paige. "I have some phone calls to make."

Paige, rubbing her eye, walked out of the kitchen and back towards her room. Marco made sure he heard the door shut before he started dialing Craig's number.


	4. Chapter 4

**Oh dear, I feel as if this is kind of a filler chapter. D:**

"Hello?"

Marco took a deep breath before speaking.

"Hey, Craig, it's Marco," he said quietly.

"Hey!" Craig replied. "Long time no talk!"

Marco blinked a few times, feeling his heart race. He didn't know how he was going to do this.

"Yeah, it's been a while…" What would he say? "Listen, Craig, uhm, I have some bad news."

Craig was quiet for a moment; Marco could hear his breathing. "Go ahead," Craig prompted. Marco brought one hand to his face, trying to keep his breathing steady.

"Ellie, Paige, and I got into a car accident yesterday," he began, feeling the back of his eyes burn. "We went to the hospital and-and Paige and I are okay, but Ellie…" His voice cracked as he spoke her name. "She didn't make it, Craig."

The other end of the line was totally silent. Marco blinked away threatening tears and took a shaky breath.

"Craig?" he asked, glancing up at the ceiling.

"You mean Ellie…" Craig said slowly. "Ellie is dead?"

Marco bit his cheek as he'd done at the hospital. "Yeah, Craig, she-she's gone." Saying those words brought back the images of Ellie completely still in the hospital bed, her bandaged face peaceful and pale. Biting down harder and harder, he refused to cry.

"Look, I'll call you back later, okay?" Marco said softly; he could hear Craig's uneven breathing on the other line. "I've got more people to talk to."

Craig agreed with a small 'okay' and hung up. Marco squeezed his eyes shut and put the phone down on the counter. If telling Craig was that hard, he didn't know how he'd tell the others. Trying desperately to keep his composure, Marco picked up the phone once more.

**Please ignore invisible line of separation. (:**

Craig's own hot breath suffocated him as he sat in a tight ball on his couch, trying to take in what Marco had just told him. Ellie Nash, the sweet, beautiful redhead he'd fallen in love with, was dead. Gone. He hadn't even given her a proper apology for all he'd done to her. All the pain he'd caused her.

Taking a massive breath, Craig unrolled himself and laid his head on the back of the couch, watching the fan spin above him. Could Ellie see him right now? Did she know the pain he was feeling? She had to; she had to know that he was sorry.

Thunder from outside his window made Craig jump. Lightning flashed seconds later and in moments, rain was pattering on the roof. Craig got to his feet quickly and hurried to the front door, which he pushed open slowly. The rain was thick and coming down hard in the front lawn. Eyebrows furrowed, he moved forward into the rain.

The cool drops hit his cheeks and moved down his face, soaking his shirt. He stood still in the rain, letting the drops mix in with quick-moving tears.

"I know you can hear me, El!" he yelled to the sky, blinking salt water out of his eyes. "Why did you have to go, huh? You didn't give me enough time!" The last few words he spoke were almost covered by a sob. "You could've stayed a little longer!" he continued, his hands clenched into fists at his side. "You were supposed to fight, Ellie!"

His eyes fixed on the gray clouds above him, Craig tried to imagine Ellie looking down at him, her soft smile lighting up the sky. But all he saw were falling droplets and flashing lights.


	5. Chapter 5

**A.N. Damn. I thought I'd never get to finishing this. We started homeschooling and dance was absolutely crazy… buuuuut it's summer now! Highfives!**

**Well. I actually held my breath writing the first section of this. I now know what authors mean when they say they're connected with their characters. Oh wait. **

**ELLIE'S NOT MINE. Just saying, you know. She's like… Canada's. Yeah. **

Ellie didn't even remember closing her eyes.

All she remembered was giving Marco a smile; one she hoped would reassure him. He'd looked so worried, so _tired_. She didn't want him to worry about her. She'd felt fine, other than a dull ringing in her ears… and maybe a throb or two somewhere else, but she'd felt worse than that before.

Now she felt nothing. She felt blank. Vacant. Like sleep without dreams. Her mind felt numb. She felt… in fact, she wasn't even sure she _was _feeling. Whatever kind of trance she was in, she had to wake up soon. Marco and Paige would be worrying about her.

She attempted to force her mind into motion again, to make herself feel something. Anything. But try as she might, the vacant feeling never left. She tried to speak, but her lips wouldn't move. It was as if they'd been sealed with cement.

She began to panic, willing her body to move, willing her mind to thaw out from this terrible state. Maybe this was all a nightmare. Maybe she would wake up soon, snuggled into Marco's warm shoulder, taking the scent she knew so well…

In her alarm, Ellie noticed something missing. Something was gone. She experienced that awful frustration you get when you can't figure something out until it hit her like a bag of bricks.

Her heartbeat. She couldn't hear it. She couldn't feel it.

Her heart had stopped.

Before she knew it, Ellie was screaming. Her throat was going numb from the force of it. She could feel her fists clenched, her legs cramping, her eyes squeezed shut.

She stopped abruptly, her eyes snapping open. She could move. She could _feel_. Relief flooded through her body, reaching to the very ends of her fingertips. She couldn't enjoy it for long, though, because that one thing was still absent. The steady _bump-bump _of her heart.

Her eyes adjusted to the bright light that met them and Ellie was slightly startled to see where she stood. It was a familiar room, with a faint light coming from a lamp and a silver glow peeking through the blinds. A sigh behind her made her jump. She turned slowly to see Marco sitting on his bed, gently placing his cell phone on his knee, bringing a hand to his face. His shoulders were hunched, his hair was a mess, and his face was a sight that made Ellie's nonexistent heartbeat stop.

"Marco," she called quietly, her gaze fixed on his grief-stricken face. He didn't move. "Marco!" she repeated, taking a step forward. The boy still didn't budge, leaning backwards on a mountain of pillows. There were dark circles underneath his brown eyes, the ones she knew he got only when he was losing sleep.

Ellie quickly made her way forward to take a seat on the bed. She felt it underneath her, but it didn't move; the quilt didn't crease under her weight, and the frame didn't squeak as she sat. She began to panic again, looking worriedly at her best friend. He'd switched off the lamp at his bedside, but she could still see his face in the light of the moon.

"Marco!" she screamed, slamming a fist down on the bed. Nothing moved. This only frustrated her more, so that tears burned behind her eyes. She felt them run down her cheeks, and watched them fall into her lap; they were silvery grey, and as soon as they hit her legs, they disappeared.

"Marco, it's me!" she continued, fumbling as she tried to scoot closer to him. "It's Ellie!" More matter-less tears made their way down her cheeks. "Please!"

Her sobs were so loud in her own ears. If her heart was still there, it was breaking.

She simply lay there beside him until her sobs subsided into feeble hiccups. Her thin red hair was sticking to her face, but she didn't bother to rub it away. It wouldn't matter.

She was dead.

**Whew. I bet you're crying. Eh? **

**Geez so angsty. I normally don't go for angst that much, but when people die, it is desperately needed. I was so tempted to go for the "Dude, I just had the weirdest dream…" thing, but I'll kill anyone who ends a story like that, so. Yeah. **

**Should this be the end? I hate sad endings, but a funeral scene sounds nice. Meh. I'll sleep on it. It's 12:06. In the morning. **


End file.
